The Elemental Cycle VI: Joining of the Three
by kazeno
Summary: Sixth in the Elemental Cycle, this is the Disciplinary Committee's founding... and more.


#### Baack! I've written almost all of the Elemental Cycle by now, although I'm not posting them yet - I have yet to type them. Basically, the original 8-story cycle has become a thirteen-story one, and after 'Joining of the Three' should come 'Summer Dreams' [finished, untyped], 'Dreamseeker' [finished untyped], 'Windleash'[jammed for lack of information - I haven't finished the ff8 game yet], 'Flamecapture' [jammed for lack of information], (maybe one on the fujin/raijin leaving Seifer scene), 'Time's Maze' [finished untyped], 'Deep Water' [finished untyped] and 'Forever' [finished, unposted]. Hah. Gonna be busy, so don't expect these until some time later.

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#### The Elemental Cycle VI: Joining of the Three

** **

'…Think you're ready to try the Training Center in pairs.' The instructor paused for breath while someone near the back snorted noisily. Lyhsa knew immediately who it was. 'Mr.Almasy, if you have any comments please couch them in proper language.'

'Now as I was saying, I'm going to pair you off to go into the Training Center. Stick with your assigned partner all the time; this is no time for playing the cocky hero'-Seifer struck a pose-'so try to keep together at all times. I'll be drifting around with Instructor Aedin – we'll watch out and offer assistance if necessary. But we're only two people, and there will be five pairs working here, so you'll definitely be on your own most of the time.'

'I hope you're all up to it, and if you aren't, you'll be dropped to Instructor Aedin's class, a _lower one to relearn the basics.' She looked at each face in turn._

Dena Lyah, all serious pink face and curly dark hair. Kevin, grinning in excitement. Cherry, yellow mop of hair flying everywhere, clutching her flail. Tania, from Aedin's class, a slight girl holding two small chakrams, each about the size of Lhysa's hand. Chris and Terry, identical twins with identical weapons – broadsword. Squall and Seifer, the two opposites, dark and light, teased and teasing, both holding gunblades. Fujin and Raijin, the second pair of opposites, light and dark (more pronounced than Squall and Seifer), silent and talkative, bright and dimwitted. Fujin was certainly bright, though not of genius potential like Quistis. And Raijin was regrettably scatterbrained – the only thing he seemed to excel at was fighting with the staff. 

'Aedin and I have supplied you with GFs, so you can practice your drawing and casting. Draw as many spells as you can find. You'll need 'em n the future. Good luck.' Lyhsa chose pairs and sent them off into the left side of the Training Center, after warning them not to go to the right side – T-Rexaur area.

The pairings had been half-random, half-planned. She took care to partner friend with relative stranger – it would make them friends. Dena and Terry, Kevin and Chris, Cherry and Tania, Squall and Raijin, Seifer and Fujin, although she rather doubted the last pair would become friends. 

More likely that Seifer would dominate Fujin.

Fujin clutched her shuriken in one hand, following Seifer complacently. He'd made it clear that he wanted to be leader, and she was only happy to comply. Fujin didn't really care who was leader anyway, as long as it wasn't her. She hated leadership; hated the pressure, the decisions, that fact that lives would rest on them. From what she read in the history books, leaders were more apt to be assassinated, or killed, or gone mad.

Seifer stopped suddenly, holding up one hand. Fujin came to a halt as well, waiting.

'Ssh..' he whispered – as if she'd thought to make a sound. 'Grats ahead – two of 'em. Come on – surprise attack.' Fujin nodded. Ever since the incident at night, where he'd caught her training illegally, the two had generally avoided each other. A small flush of embarrassment still hit her cheeks sometimes whenever she thought of it. Not that she knew why.

Coming out of the bushes, Seifer charged one of the Grats with a yell, gunblade swinging. Fujin hung back, measuring the distance to the second carefully before letting fly with her shuriken. The weapon gracefully slashed off one of the Grat's tentacles and it fell to the ground with a wet slap. The thing retaliated almost before Fujin's shuriken settled in her grip, the paddle-like obtrusions on the tentacles hitting her in succession.

Fujin gritted her teeth against the pain and lashed out with her shuriken. Shurikens weren't really made for close-in fighing, but she had to get the thing off her. The Grat made a kind of squealing sound as blades met flesh. It retreated cautiously, as Fujin readied an aero spell, one of ten given to her by Instructor Lyhsa. Beside her she heard a band as Seifer pulled the trigger on his gunblade.

The aero spell caught it; the Grat fell back stunned, Fujin taking the chance to draw several sleeps from it. Another explosion from the other battle - sounded like a fire spell. Hit by the Grat again, Fujin drove it off with a slash of her shuriken, then drew and cast sleep in quick successioin.

It worked. She drew spells from it then, the sounds nearby announcing Seifer was doing the same with his. A glance confirmed it – the blond boy was standing some distance from the Grat he'd been fighting, concentrating on drawing and stocking as many sleep and silence spells as he could.

She didn't notice the Grat move until it was too late. The remaining feelers closed about her slender body, almost as if it was trying to hug her. Before she could do anything, a sudden feeling of weakening shot through her, and she almost collapsed when the Grat drew away. 

Managing to stand, she sent her shuriken winging over. Beside her, Seifer dispatched his opponent with a slash, a quick pull of the trigger and a bang.

The shuriken returned to her hand at the same time as the Grat jumped over. This time, Fujin evaded it, executing a jump to the right and a roll. Shuriken and gunblade went down on the misshapen monster at the same time, and it exploded when Seifer hit the trigger. 

In the aftermath, Fujin rubbed her face with the back of her hand to try and remove the slime coating her face and ran her fingers through her sodden silver hair. Opposite her, Seifer looked just as slimy as she felt, and he obviously didn't care for it either.

'Ugh… sorry for that, Fuj.' He wiped his face with two fingers, coming away with two slime-coated fingers.

Fujin shook her head, slime spattering on the ground. 'FORGIVE. FORGET.'

Seifer sighed. 'Time to find more Grats. And hopefully they won't explode this time.' He was still treating her differently, Fujin noticed. Different from the way he teased Dena or Quistis. She didn't know why. 

And she didn't particularly care.

_Knock, knock. _

'COME,' Fujin yelled. She hid her book under the bedsheets as the door creaked open.

'Hey, Fujin, right?' A boy stood in the doorway, almost filling it. He was dark-skinned with black hair, dressed in plain dark (quite baggy) pants and a white shirt. A necklace of beads adorned his neck, and his brown eyes were open and frank.

'WHAT?'

He fidgeted. 'Headmaster Cid says to meet him in his office, ya know? You 'n me 'n Seifer too.' Fujin nodded, rising to her feet gracefully.

She trailed discreetly along behind the boy while he babbled. In the five-minute walk to Seifer's room, she learnt that his name was Raijin; that he was learning to use the staff; he was an orphan too; he knew Seifer; Lyhsa said that him and her – Fujin – were complete opposites and a few more bits of gossip. Fujin ignored most of it, letting the words flow past her.

_Knock, knock, knock…_

The door to Seifer's room cracked open a bit. After a moment, it swung open fully, revealing Seifer standing there, looking slightly irritated, and wearing his usual white vest and gray pants.

'Whadd'ya want?' the sixteen-year-old growled.

'Headmaster Cid, ya know? He said to meet him at his office, ya know?'

Seifer ran a hand through his hair and sighed. '…Okay. I'm coming.'

'…so you three are being assigned to watch the discipline in Garden. Make sure everyone follows the faculty and student rules. Don't misuse your power. I'm leaving the position of leadership open to any of you, although I believe I already know who it's going to be. Are there any questions?'

'No, ya know?' Raijin was the only one who answered.

'Very well. You're dismissed'

The three of them trooped out of the headmaster's room and took the elevator down to the classroom.

'Meet me at my dorm room after class. We're having a meeting,' Seifer said without waiting for any of them to say anything.

'To choose a leader, ya know.' Raijin added. _Dimwit, Fujin thought unkindly. She already__ knew who the leader would be. _

She was right. 'No, idiot. I'm going to be the leader. We gotta discuss stuff.'

'Yeah, we gotta make rules, ya know.' Raijin seemed to have gotten over his faux pas easily. Fujin rolled her one eye. _We've already got rules…_

Seifer cracked a grin. 'I see we're going to get along just fine.'

*shrug* Not much, eh...? Just scenes from Balamb Training.


End file.
